Rachael Ray’s Uptown-Down Home Chili

Two nights ago I made Rachael Ray’s Uptown Down-Home Chili.  RUN, do not walk- and make this chili.  It was SOOO delicious and is a total keeper!  It is going RIGHT into the rotation, I’m not kidding.

I didn’t make many changes to the recipe, although my version was more down home than uptown.   I didn’t have Stella on hand, but a Bud Light (up, definitely down home).  I also didn’t have the smoked gouda on hand either, so I used the taco cheese mix- and it worked just fine.  Instead of portobello mushrooms, I chopped some steak cut mushrooms (steak cut mushrooms are basically white stuffing mushrooms sold in thick slices).  I did add the shitakes, and recommend that you do too.

Oh- and I didn’t have fresh thyme either- the dried was just fine. 

I let this simmer for about 25 minutes- not because the recipe called for it, but because we weren’t ready to eat.  I think it let the flavor profiles deepen a little bit.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds ground sirloin
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning) a palm full
• 1/2 pound baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 pound shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped, with their juices or 1 generous palm full ground chipotle chili powder, about 2 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin, half a palm full
• 1 bottle imported beer (recommended: Stella Artois (…imported just ’cause we’re Uptown and that’s all they drink here.)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup beef stock (8-ounce box)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 8-ounce piece smoked Gouda, shredded
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped

Directions

Heat a deep, large skillet or a pot over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and the meat. Season it with grill seasoning and sear it up, browning and crumbling it, for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate and return pot to stove. Reduce heat to medium- high and add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Add the mushrooms and begin to brown them before adding the other veggies. After 2 or 3 minutes the mushrooms will begin to shirk and soften. Push the mushrooms off to one side of the pot and add all the remaining veggies to the opposite side of the pot surface. Once the onions, celery, peppers and garlic have been working for a few minutes as well, mix the veggies with the mushrooms. Add the meat back, season with Worcestershire sauce, chipotle in adobo or chipotle powder and cumin. Add in beer to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the pan drippings. Reduce the beer by half, about 2 minutes. Add the black beans, tomatoes, stock and thyme to chili and simmer 10 minutes for flavors to combine. Taste to adjust seasonings. Top bowls of the chili with shredded smoked Gouda and finely chopped raw onions.